The phrase "fleshpots" has, over time, developed a sexual connotation, principally suggesting the lower forms of sexual commerce (i.e., prostitution and promiscuity), but the phrase does not appear in William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra. The association to sexuality could be a product of the word "flesh," and could be derived from the temptation of the fleshpots discussed in the Bible. The Biblical meaning, however, has nothing to do with sex or sexuality. "Fleshpots" in the Bible are just that: pots of flesh or, more precisely, meat. Moses, having succeeded in bringing the Jews out of Egypt, was consequently and repeatedly confronted by angry hordes of newly-liberated Jews incessantly complaining about the harshness of life in the expansive deserts where food and water were scarce. Exodus 16:3 refers to one such collective lament directed at Moses by angry throngs:

"Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

Shakespeare's play, of course, does not lack for sexual intrigue between Cleopatra and Antony, among others, and the Roman perception of distant Egypt almost certainly allowed for visions of promiscuity that may or may not have conformed to reality. In that sense, the use of the phrase "fleshpots" would be expected, as the Romans may have viewed ancient Egypt the way much of the world viewed Times Square before its rejuvenation during the 1990s. In any event, the phrase, as noted, does not appear in the play, but is commonly used in reference to the seedier venues of certain cities and towns.

"fleshpot" as a place of sexual immorality or excesses is a derived meaning and was probably coming to mean that in the 16th century England. It is what we think of today when we hear the word. But the "flesh pots" of Egypt referred to in Exodus 16 was an actual king of cooking pot. The following definition comes from http://www.bible-history.com/isbe/F/FLESH-POT/ In the original Hebrew it is two words.

flesh'-pot (cir ha-basar, "pot of the flesh"): One of the six kinds of cooking utensils spoken of as pots or pans or caldrons or basins. Probably usually made of bronze or earthenware. The only mention of flesh-pots, specifically so named, is in Ex 16:3

The "fleshpots of Egypt" were so called because of their loose sexuality and equally loose morals. (In the Bible, the "fleshpots of Egypt" are what the Israelites were trying to flee from due to the overt sexuality, greed, and general sin of the Egyptians against the One True God.) Egypt was all about excess.

Other examples of places being called "fleshpots" are Sodom and Gommorah and Las Vegas, both deemed places were sexuality and morals were/are loose, to say the least! (New slogan: What happens in Egypt stays in Egypt! :)